The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Position Cut by World Equity Group Inc.

World Equity Group Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 45.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,545 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after selling 2,131 shares during the period. World Equity Group Inc.'s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $310,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAM Holding AG increased its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 12.0% during the first quarter. GAM Holding AG now owns 10,824 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $1,318,000 after purchasing an additional 1,163 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC grew its position in TJX Companies by 11.2% in the 1st quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 509,095 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $62,008,000 after buying an additional 51,359 shares in the last quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in TJX Companies by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 20,203 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $2,461,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the period. Covea Finance increased its stake in TJX Companies by 53.9% during the 1st quarter. Covea Finance now owns 200,868 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $24,466,000 after buying an additional 70,340 shares during the period. Finally, Evanson Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of TJX Companies by 77.1% during the 1st quarter. Evanson Asset Management LLC now owns 2,983 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $363,000 after buying an additional 1,299 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.09% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other TJX Companies news, Director Amy B. Lane sold 950 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.09, for a total value of $121,685.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 22,712 shares in the company, valued at $2,909,180.08. This represents a 4.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

TJX Companies Stock Up 0.7%

TJX stock opened at $123.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $137.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.90. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $107.71 and a 52-week high of $135.85. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $127.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.10.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $13.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.01 billion. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 58.81%. The company's revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.93 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

TJX Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid a $0.425 dividend. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TJX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $164.00 price target (up from $154.00) on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded TJX Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Loop Capital set a $150.00 target price on TJX Companies and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, TD Securities boosted their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, TJX Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $141.53.

TJX Companies Profile

The TJX Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an off-price apparel and home fashions retailer in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. It operates through four segments: Marmaxx, HomeGoods, TJX Canada, and TJX International. The company sells family apparel, including footwear and accessories; home fashions, such as home basics, furniture, rugs, lighting products, giftware, soft home products, decorative accessories, tabletop, and cookware, as well as expanded pet, and gourmet food departments; jewelry and accessories; and other merchandise.

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